SHOOTS Synonyms: 341 Similar and Opposite Words

shoots 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shoot

as in fires

to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force BB guns shoot small round metal pellets

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Relevance

as in blasts

to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers train extensively to learn to shoot accurately and quickly

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as in pops

to strike with a missile from a gun hunters can shoot deer only during the legally specified open season

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as in rushes

to proceed or move quickly some show-off shot past all the other skiers on the slope

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as in photographs

to take a photograph of shooting the lakeside scene while the light lasted

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as in casts

to throw or give off suddenly the old, broken-down toaster began shooting out sparks

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as in shouts

to voice one's opinions freely with force you've been wanting to say something since this meeting started, so shoot

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as in sprinkles

to mark with small spots especially unevenly hazel eyes that were brown shot with green

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as in sends

to cause to go or be taken from one place to another shot a congratulatory e-mail to his friend as soon as he heard the good news

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shoots

2 of 2

noun

plural of shoot

as in limbs

a branch of a main stem especially of a plant collected the most tender shoots for the vegetable dish he was making

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as in pains

a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body there'd be a shoot of pain from that molar whenever I bit down

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shoots

Verb

There’s a level of seriousness that belies the 90-minute comedy film he’s made, which features an imbecilic white rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang and a contraption that shoots bullets out of one’s rear end. — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 The episode ends with Lee running for his life while McCann shoots into the darkness of the treeline. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026 Body-camera video obtained by CBS News Atlanta shows HeeHaw the donkey galloping toward officers before a Cedartown police officer shoots him during a search for a missing girl. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Among the options being weighed is broadcasting the period immediately before the execution and cutting away before the firing squad shoots Hasan, an official familiar with the planning described. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 The armed immigration agent then shoots Melanie in response, and his partner subsequently dies. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026 Fahy is positioned behind Stewart as Atlanta’s Angel Reese shoots free throws and appears to be communicating with the scorer’s table. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Even when his characters do use a computer screen, Okita shoots so tight on the cursor and characters, even their intricate composition appears tactile and sculpted. — James Marsh, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 Cinematographer Kira Kelly shoots powerful close-ups of Misty, then pivots to watch the people watching her. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Noun

Sophie, mom Annie and her great-aunt comprised The 3 Suckers — a play on the small side shoots that can stunt the growth of healthy leaves. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Because Luke’s Diner was essentially a wooden frame without insulation—and the cast and crew constantly shuffled in and out the door—the December and January shoots on the backlot could be brutal. — Mara Reinstein, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026 By spring, green shoots sprouted on the hills above the Rio Ruidoso. — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 Lange started her casting career as the youngest ever bookings director at Vogue Germany in the 2000s, aged 21, producing shoots and securing models. — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026 The organisms bend their roots and shoots in response to stimuli such as water, light, salt and gravity. — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026 Unintentionally, Abrams took a page out of Gosling’s playbook while preparing for his consecutive shoots on Whalefall and Resident Evil in 2025. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 The increase indicates signs of green shoots in footwear manufacturing, both for order intake and shipment. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 But attracting more shoots is no longer the only measure of success. — Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoots

Verb

Jason fires a 3-D harpoon into the eye of Vera Sanchez (Catherine Parks), and later crushes the skull of Rick Bombay (Paul Kratka), causing his eyes to pop out.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
After all, what could go wrong sitting atop three million barrels of oil while a hostile country fires missiles and drones at it?

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of fires

Verb

The pledge follows land mine blasts that injured three South Korean soldiers; Seoul says North Korea planted the mines, while Pyongyang denies responsibility and threatens retaliation.

— Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Trump blasts Iran over American deaths, protester executions.

— , FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of blasts

Verb

Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon dialed up more blitzes and two-high safety coverages in the second half, switching from a first-half strategy that was full of single-high and some three-man rushes.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
Offensive player of the week Senior quarterback Ethan Gialo rushes for 207 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries during Lakes’ 31-14 Northern Lake County Conference win over Round Lake.

— Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of rushes

Verb

All manner of contemporary art is shown here, with a collection over 200,000 pieces strong, ranging from Diane Arbus and Cindy Sherman photographs to paintings from Francis Bacon and Sol LeWitt sculptures.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
His mother had tried, in the aftermath of a wildfire that destroyed their neighborhood, to replace the philosophy books and family photographs the 17-year-old boy had lost.

— Casey Parks, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of photographs

Verb

In that sense, New Stanford replicates an ancient form of patriarchal bias that casts men as the norm and women as an atypical other.

— Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
The flagship open-air restaurant HaSalon is helmed by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, whose modern Middle Eastern cooking casts plants as the stars of the show.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of casts

Verb

Hollywell nods in agreement, and shouts out all the graffiti artists and other creatives who are still nearby.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
While one fan shouts criticism at an official’s call at Mira Costa High, Grandma and Grandpa Reis calmly and confidently root for their grandsons, Christian, a running back, and Weston, a linebacker.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of shouts

Verb

Kemery sprinkles the tiny seeds either in late fall or very early spring, when there’s still a chance of frost, since cold spells offer the best germination.

— SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026
Thomson sprinkles critique throughout his book like seasoning unevenly applied to a gamey piece of meat.

— Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026